


Two boys that don't belong

by unidentifiedblackthorn



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: M/M, and cuddling, and ty makes him feel better, hand holding, kit feels like he doesn't belong, some more cute shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 23:06:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11770338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unidentifiedblackthorn/pseuds/unidentifiedblackthorn
Summary: Kit walks into the library quietly - and goes rigid with surprise as soon as he's inside. There's a light next to the shelves. It's the first time Kit's ever encountered someone inside the library at two in the morning, and he's just about to bolt, suddenly struck with an image of Julian siting with legs crossed and the Codex in his hands, waiting for Kit to arrive. But then he makes out white soft skin, a sharp contrast to Julian's light brown one, and relief punches through him.





	Two boys that don't belong

**Author's Note:**

> yoooo i'm back with some more kitty fluff because apparently I can't help myself???? This is just them being cute and Ty does most of the talking because he feels personally offended that Kit is feeling like this.

Kit sighs, eyes open and unseeing on the ceiling after tossing and turning for at least four hours. 

It was one of _those_ nights.

The ones where he would sleep long enough for the nightmares to creep in and haunt him, then keep him awake for hours. Tears sliding slowly down his cheeks and thoughts flying over his head a mile a minute. He sometimes thinks about the Market, his father's clients, the few people that were nice to him there. 

But mostly he just thinks of his father - tonight he finds himself trying to remember his father's smile: Did the corner of his eyes crinkled when he smiled like Julian's did? Did dimples appear on his face like they did on Dru's? Did he put a hand over his mouth when he laughed like Ty did? 

Kit lets these thoughts knock around his head before he snorts, wiping a tear as it trickled down his cheek, he doesn't remember the last time his father smiled with genuine joy. Probably when Kit was really young. His memories of his father smiling face were often cruel and secretive when he was talking to a client. 

But still. Kit likes to think that his father's eyes crinkled when he smiled. And that the smile was directed at baby Kit as he babbled on top of his father's chest. 

*

Kit rolls from bed, ignoring the tear that slides down his cheek. His body feels zapped as his feet touch the cold floor but he ignores it and leaves what he's still not comfortable calling his room. He paddles down the corridor silently. He's made this trip in the middle of the night many times, and after encountering Julian more times than he'd liked to, he makes sure to walk quickly and efficiently through the corridors, not keen on watching Julian's concerned half asleep gaze centered on Kit. 

He reaches the kitchens and drinks a glass of water from the sink, leaning against the counter. Tavvy's toys are on the floor and a lump rises in Kit's throat for some unknown reason. He runs a hand through his hair and rinses his glass, suddenly desperate to get out. 

He paddles into the corridor again and takes a deep breath. He might as well do something productive while he's awake. The first time Julian had caught him roaming the Institute at night with shaking hands and red eyes, he had immediately asked what Kit was doing out of bed and if he was alright. The worry in Julian's voice, the sudden alertness that had sparked in his eyes had sent Kit into a panic. And he had stuttered something about studying the Codex. "You know - um, to improve my Shadowhunting skills and - k - knowledge on your Angel." 

Julian had stared at Kit with concerned, sad eyes, and Kit was already puffing out his chest and standing straighter, instinctively getting defensive - but he was saved by another loud sob from Tavvy's room. The moment was broken when Julian had whipped his head back at the sound, and even before Kit had even heard the sound of Dru's door opening and the small flutter of her feet, he had disappeared, bolting away towards the library.

After that, Kit has actually taken to reading the Codex, mostly because it got his mind away from his father - and because Julian had given Kit his worn copy of the book with a small smile the next day so Kit really didn't have much of a choice.

* 

Kit walks into the library quietly - and goes rigid with surprise as soon as he's inside. There's a light next to the shelves. It's the first time Kit's ever encountered someone inside the library at two in the morning, and he's just about to bolt, suddenly struck with an image of Julian siting with legs crossed and the Codex in his hands, waiting for Kit to arrive. But then he makes out white soft skin, a sharp contrast to Julian's light brown one, and relief punches through him. 

He makes his way curiously toward the light, picking his copy of the Codex from a nearby table. 

Ty is sitting on the small couch, feet bare and curled under him. Kit looks around, expecting Livvy to appear any moment, but Ty appears to be here alone. He's wearing a soft grey hoodie, and his head is bent over an open book on his lap, his headphones nowhere in sight. His head snaps up as soon as Kit has the Codex in his hand, though Kit's sure he hadn't made any noise. 

Ty looks absurdly beautiful. Looks soft and comfortable and pretty. Only illuminated by the lamp on the small table beside him, highlighting his cheekbones and grey eyes that look brighter than ever with the hoodie he's wearing. Kit can't help a small smile, face warming.

"Hello," Ty tells Kit, as though it was the most normal thing to see each other at two in the morning. 

"What are you doing awake at this hour?" Kit whispers as he sits beside Ty. 

Ty shrugs, fingers tapping the corner of the page. "I've been analyzing Sherlock and Watson's partnership. And have decided to reread all the books again."

Kit huffs a tired laugh, doesn't question Ty's motives at all. "You do know there's an entire television show about Sherlock right?"

Ty snaps his head toward Kit, completely outraged. " _What_? There _is_?"

Kit smiles at him, chest tight at the open wonder in Ty's wide eyes. His nightmares and father seem far away now, like only when Ty was near could they be chased away by the curious glint in Ty's eyes and the powerful way his mind worked.  

"Yeah, it's a very talked about show. I've seen a few episodes." Kit would do pretty much anything right now to keep that happy glazed look on Ty's face. 

"Is it good?" Ty asks, and Kit can nearly feel him vibrating with excitement. 

Kit shrugs and ducks his head. "I wouldn't know, I haven't read any of the books." He looks back at Ty, finding comfort in the tapping of Ty's fingers. "But I could show it to you. We can watch it on the computer." That would probably end in Kit giving Ty his Netflix account until it gets cancelled. 

Ty nods enthusiastically, seeming lost in his head. Kit smiles, happy that Ty no longer felt so guilty about what happened to Livvy in the Shadow Market. He opens the Codex on the page he had doggy eyed and begins to read.

There's a long comfortable silence as Kit starts the chapter about different types of demons. And Kit wonders if the demons that killed his father would appear here. 

"Do you come here to read every night?" Ty asks, rearranging his legs to the right of his body, unintentionally scooting closer to Kit.

"Sometimes," Kit murmurs. 

"Why?"

"Can't sleep."

There's a long silence, not uncomfortable, but one where Kit knew they would do more talking than reading. He looks up to see Ty staring right at him, head cocked to the side curiously.

"Is there a problem with the bed?" 

Kit shakes his head. "No.It's - uh. I think too much." He clears his throat awkwardly, giving Ty a side eyed glance and seeing him watch Kit with rapt attention. "I get nightmares and can't sleep so I come here."

Ty doesn't miss a beat. "Are they about your father?"

Kit stays silent for a few moments, then, "Yeah." 

There's another long silence, but this one is a loud crackling one. "Are you thinking of running away again?" Ty's voice shakes, and it sounds small, almost scared and angry. 

Kit looks up at Ty, suddenly confused and irritated himself. "I have nowhere else to go, Ty."

"But do you _want_ to leave?" 

Kit shakes his head. "I don't want to leave, but I also don't belong here don't you think?" He huffs, something ugly curling in his throat. "Julian can't worry about another kid and you guys don't deserve the attention of having a stray _Herondale_ inside your home." Kit laughs humorlessly, vision clouding with tears. 

He takes a deep breath, and adds, more quietly but no less bitter, "You know, I used to want to make you lives hell for not letting me leave. I used to want to eat all your foods and take advantage of what you've given me. But how can I do that now when I know how much you guys love each other? How can I do that now that I see Dru treating Tavvy like a son? W - When i see Julian running to calm Tavvy down every other night? How can I, when I know that if I stayed you guys would treat me like family, even though I - I would make your lives hell?"

Kit takes a deep breath, wipes a tear with the back of his hand. He hates voicing his insecurities out loud. "I'm sorry I just - it's hard to feel like you belong when you don't know what's going to happen next. If I'm going to be thrown into some sort of Shadowhunting foster care or something. I - I don't know but I just don't feel like I belong here."

There's a long silence, in which Kit stubbornly refuses to look at Ty. Though he can hear Ty tapping his finger. 

"You speak as though being a Herondale is a bad thing."

Kit shakes his head, frustrated. "I don't want to be a Herondale."

There another long silence, and Kit leans back, resting his head against the back of the couch. 

"I don't belong either," Ty says, and Kit looks sideways at him. "I'm different, I can't take loud noises. I don't understand jokes. If Julian doesn't make pancakes every Saturday I get upset. Everything is too loud. I can't keep my fingers still for too long." Ty smiles suddenly and it's so beautiful and directed at Kit that for a moment Kit feels like he and Ty are the only two people in the Institute, in the whole universe. 

"Julian tells everyone that there's nothing wrong with me and maybe there isn't - but I _am_ different," Tiberius says, and raises a slightly shaking hand, cautiously placing it on top of Kit's. Kit stops breathing, and turns his hand over. Ty interlocks his long slender fingers with Kit's. "Maybe two boys that don't belong anywhere else belong together."

Kit ducks his head to hide his smile. His chest is tight with emotion, but somehow, he feels lighter than he has in a long time. He doesn't know how to tell Ty how much his words mean to him, so he just tightens their fingers. "You belong with your family," Kit says softly. "I don't have one."

Ty nods seriously, thinking. "We will be your family."

Kit rolls his eyes, raising his eyebrows and grinning. "You don't think Julian or any of the other kids would mind?"

Kit looks at the side of Ty's face, with light freckles and long dark lashes and beautiful cheekbones. Ty furrows his eyebrows in a way that looks incredibly adorable; Kit's grin grows wider. 

"No," Ty says slowly. "And if they did I would give them all key points on why you are exactly family material."

Kit laughs, chest light and heart open. 

"That wasn't a joke."

Kit laughs harder. "I know," he says, still giggling, and strokes his thumb along Ty's knuckle.

*

"You fit perfectly among us," Ty says after Kit sobers. "Livvy's my other half and you're a gift. An interesting, precious and welcomed surprise."

There isn't a particular way that Ty says it, it's matter-of-fact, like every other thing Ty says. But Kit still finds himself with his heart in his throat, overwhelmed by the warmth and happiness he's feeling for this autistic boy that unknowingly wears his heart in his sleeve.

Kit doesn't respond, but it doesn't matter because Ty's already turning to the open book on his lap. 

Kit's chest feels too full, so he closes the Codex with his free hand and throws it on the small table that holds the lamp. He leans his head back again, lips curled in a ghost of a smile with Ty's fingers gripped between his. His eyes slip closed. He's just going to rest for a little bit. 

* 

"Thank you," Kit says after a few minutes of silence. 

"For what?"

"For making me feel like I belong."

*

He doesn't really notice when he falls asleep, but he does register in his half asleep haze when the warmth of Ty fingers disappears. He feels the dip of the couch, and in the back of his mind he knows Ty has left. He mumbles something incoherent and curls his feet under himself as everything goes black again. He doesn't notice that the lamp is still on.

* 

The couch dips beside him again, and his eyes try to open when he feels the warmth of a blanket being placed on top of him but they seem to be sewn shut.

"Ty?" he mumbles, his eyes refusing to open.

"Yes?"

Kit hums, welcoming Ty's presence and the warmth of the blanket. "Thought you left," he croaks.

"I did. You looked cold so I got a blanket."

"Mhmm - Thought you left for good." His eyes finally open blearily. Ty's face is the only thing Kit can focus on, calm but tired.

"I wouldn't leave you here alone. Can I lay my head on your shoulder?" Ty whispers. Kit nods sleepily and raises his arm before he's even processed the question. But his hand stays stretched for a long moment. He's already falling asleep again, his arm tired from being stretched for so long, the side of his face cushioned against the soft material of the sofa - when Ty finally moves.

Ty scoots closer, and then Kit feels Ty's head on his collarbone, hair brushing Kit's chin. He wraps his arm around Ty's back, and Ty tucks himself against him. Kit presses his cheek on Ty's hair, eyelids heavy, as one of Ty's hands clutch his shirt. 

"You're warm," Kit murmurs, his arm behind Ty's back coming up to comb his hand sleepily through Ty's hair.

"I'm wearing a hoodie," Ty responds, somewhat indignantly. Kit ignores him.

"And you fit well in my arms," he hums, hand returning to Ty's back to rub soothingly, remembering that Ty likes the pressure of being touched. He knows he's going to be deeply embarrassed by this tomorrow, but in his half asleep haze he doesn't care. Ty curls closer to him, face pressed between Kit's collarbone and chest. Kit sighs contently. "You're right," Kit murmurs, eyes falling shut. "Two boys that don't belong anywhere else just belong together."

Kit falls asleep tangled in Ty's limbs.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Please comment if you liked it. I read every single one and they make my day and warm my heart. You can find me on https://www.tumblr.com/blog/unidentifiedblackthorn :)


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